As a Latina student at the Newton College and Career Academy, Jenny Rodriguez has sometimes found herself battling the discomfort that comes with the distinction of often being the only student of her ethnicity in a particular classroom.
But more than ever, she’s turning those challenges into opportunities to lead.
Beyond Rodriguez’s 4.0 unweighted grade point average and her internship at MG Law Firm in Conyers, the senior says she’s most proud of her accomplishments as a leader and tutor in NCCA’s entrepreneur group called Amigos Unidos.
It’s a free English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) tutoring service and a Hispanic cultural awareness club. Through this group, Rodriguez not only gets the chance to deepen her pride and appreciation for her own heritage, but she gets to help others do the same.
“I strive to provide resources to Hispanics who have little guidance in their studies and who struggle with language barriers in the classroom,” she said. “I also find it crucial to teach others about Hispanic culture, because I’ve often been the only Latina in a classroom, and it was difficult to accept and embrace my difference.
“So it actually became a dream and an honor to celebrate my history and culture and influence of previous generations by creating awareness to allow people to do the same.”
Beyond that, she enjoys her work at MG Law where she helps file paperwork for motor vehicle accidents and rental properties, create intakes, answer phone calls and develop research for high profile cases, not to mention running MG Law’s social media accounts.
Rodriguez’s fascination with law work came by seeing how others who share her heritage often struggle with legal matters — and not always because of something they’ve done wrong.
“I’ve always had a fascination with law work,” she said. “This internship has just further enticed my passion for defending the defenseless. As a witness to social injustices against my father, I knew I had to help others and make a difference in their lives.”
Rodriguez says she’s narrowed down her college choices to Emory University, Georgia State, the University of Georgia and Harvard College. Her list of on-campus involvement at NCCA is hefty, including membership with NCCA’s Associate Board of Directors, Future Business Leaders of America where she served as Vice President of community service, and as a contributor to the Newton High School Latino Student Union.
It isn’t just for resume padding, though. She’s using each experience to help her achieve her greater mission — to have maximum impact in her Covington community and beyond.
“These kinds of recognitions help promote the emergence of other leaders and residence in Covington to want to make a difference,” she said. “I believe change is created by maintaining and recognition strong individuals to collaborate in fighting for impact, and ultimately, my mission is to make a difference in the lives of others by defending underserved minority communities.”
